Triumphs and Defeats at the Blue Water Classic

Sports

By Kelsey Alexander 

Husky Herald Reporter 

 Anxiety was at an all-time high for the Red Dogs Swim team Thursday evening at St. Clair High School. It was their most important meet of the season, the Blue water Classic hosted by For Sports.

  For those who aren’t familiar with the Red Dogs, they are a combined swim team of Port Huron Northern High School and Port Huron High School. The team is made up of 18 girls, 14 from Port Huron Northern and 4 from Port Huron High.

  “The Blue Water Classic is such a big meet because it is basically regionals for us,” said Sydney Collins (’17), “we face St. Clair, Marysville, and Marine City.”

  The meet began at 5 pm with the 200 medley relay. The A team was hoping to make it to MISCA’s with their best time only .44 from the qualifying times.

  Today just happen to be the cut off day to qualify for MISCA’s.

  The A team is made up of Olivia Reinhard (‘15) for freestyle, Hannah Eastman (’15) for breaststroke, Sami Mills (‘15) for backstroke, and Sydney Hilbrandt (‘17) for butterfly. The first 50 started off strong with Sami Mills holding a 29 second for backstroke.

   Eastman then held a 35 for the second 50 and Hilbrandt swam a 36 for the third 50. Reinhard, despite going one of her best times, brought in their final time as a 2:10:44.

 “It was definitely upsetting, but we all swam our hardest. It just wasn’t our day,” commented one of the team captains, Eastman. The 50 free, however, was quite the opposite of an upset.

 The last heat of the 50, the fastest heat, held all best times of 26 to 28 seconds. Senior Mills took a third place for the event overall with a time of 27.78.

 The Red Dogs’ swim coach, Kyle Doty, proudly proclaimed “I’m so proud of the place and time Mills had in the 50 free. I’m proud of all the times we got at the Classic.” This is Kyle’s third year coaching the Red Dog’s swim team.

   Reinhard, the other captain, received a season best time at the Blue Water Classic. She swam a 1:01:02, coming in 4th place overall at the meet.

 Despite the best times and impressive placing from our seniors, a lot of hard work and dedication has surfaced from the freshman class this year. Every freshman this year competed in a varsity event at the Blue Water Classic.

 “At practices I really regret joining the swim team, but at every meet I remember why I love the sport so much,” says Madison Eastman (’18).

 As a team, the Red Dogs placed 3rd place with 88 points. St. Clair took first with an outstanding 328 points, Marysville in second with 122 points, and in last place Marine City with 45 points.